


Matchmaker Make Me a Match

by orphan_account



Category: Figure Skating RPF, Speed Skating RPF
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-04-23
Updated: 2010-04-23
Packaged: 2017-10-09 02:44:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,477
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/82188
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After meeting Johnny and Evan at a photo shoot, JR concocts a plan to get them together.  Apolo is dragged along for the ride.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Matchmaker Make Me a Match

**Author's Note:**

> Written for wintergameskink on LJ.

“So, remember when we were all doing our Olympic photoshoot, and we ran into the figure skaters? And I said if they could ever stop bitching at each other, Johnny and Evan would be kind of hot and awesome together?” JR says this all in a conversational tone over breakfast (veggie frittata) to Apolo as if every morning is a good time to start gossiping about one’s teammates.

 

“Yeah, I remember.  And while you were busy day-dreaming of them giggling together in a pile of fake snow, I pointed out they live on opposite sides of the country and seem to have very little in common.”  Apolo replied, practically.  He left the romantic crap up to JR, and while he enjoyed it from time to time, he wasn’t really one to sigh over unrequited love.

 

“Exactly!” JR punctuated this by thrusting his fork at Apolo, “They only see each other at competition and media events, so they never get to explore the idea of what they might be like just them, on their own.  And since they live on opposite coasts, the opportunities for them seeing each other are limited.  That’s why the Olympics is our best shot!”

 

Apolo didn’t like where this was going.  “Our best shot at what?” he asked suspiciously.

 

JR rolled his eyes, a ridiculous teenage expression that made Apolo feel even older and more stick-in-the-mud than this whole match-making conversation already had.  “Our best shot at getting them together!  They are both staying in the village, and they’ll both be around for the whole two weeks, and it doesn’t take everyone five years to get together.  Two weeks is plenty to get them together, given that they start to see each other in a new light.”

 

Apolo groaned.  This was so typical of JR, wanting to make everyone happy.  He and Apolo didn’t have a perfect relationship, but he seemed to think it was good enough that everyone else in the world ought to be madly in love with their competitors.

 

“Ok, cupid, how exactly are we going to help them see each other in a new light between out own races?  You do remember that we are going to the Olympics to win speed-skating right?”  Apolo couldn’t believe he was getting sucked into this. The twinkle in JR’s eyes made him realize he had just walked face first into agreeing to help with some plan JR had already concocted.

 

“Well, remember a few weeks ago when I got on that kick about trying new things, wanting to call you daddy, and try some bondage and all that stuff?” Apolo definitely remembered.  After two weeks of some surprising sexual hijinks some of which were incredibly hot (JR tied to the headboard) and some of which they had mutually agreed to never bring up again (they were pretty sure toys would be out of the picture for a long, long time) their sex life had settled back into their normal routine, albeit with a few less vanilla nights mixed in.

 

Apolo raised an eyebrow and smirked. “Right, as if I’d forget your adorable blushing self suggesting dirty things I could hardly believe you came up with.”

 

“Well, that’s the thing.  **I** didn’t come up with all of them.” JR leaned forward, food momentarily forgotten.  “and I told you I got the ideas off the internet, but that’s not the whole story.”

 

Apolo gestured for him to continue, since he sure as hell wasn’t getting the picture.

 

“I was bored and couldn’t sleep one night after you had already passed out and so I decided to google us.” Apolo snorted at that.  Who the fuck googled themselves?

 

“I know you think that’s lame, but you would not believe what I found.  People write stories about us.”

 

“Duh, we get interviewed together all the time, you think those reporters do it just so they can keep the notepads?

“No, not those kind of stories.  Fictional stories.  About how we fell in love, about us training together, and having kids, and what we get up to in bed—“ Apolo’s eyebrows were about to meet his bandana at this point and JR rushed to continue, “—I mean, obviously they don’t really know what our life is like, I’m yet to read a story where you cook me dinner and unceremoniously tell me that I either need to start dating you or stop making puppy dog eyes, they have delusions about your romantic side, but it was kind of hot—okay, really hot—and even though I know you way better than crazy strangers, there were a few things that made me pause and think about you in a new way.”

 

Apolo was starting to see where these two conversations were going and he did not like it at all. “Are you suggesting we find some stories about Johnny and Evan and somehow trick them into reading it?”

 

JR waved his fork dismissively.  “No, no they are all too vague.  We need to write a story about their feelings for each other going into the Olympics so that they will realize this might be their last chance to get together!” His eyes were bright like he had just kicked ass in practice and was sure of his ability to do it again.

 

“No. Absolutely not.  I am NOT helping you write a story about Evan and Johnny.  I mean, you just said I’m not romantic at all.  I can hardly be expected to dream up some schmoopy crap about how they recognize their undying love.” Apolo thought this was a pretty good defense.

 

“I’ll do the romantic stuff” JR declared, “but you are going to help.  I mean, you’re so good at talking dirty to me, you’ve got to be able to write a good sex scene.  And you’ve been to the Olympics before, so you can help me make it realistic.  And of course then we’ll have to decide how to get it to them.”  JR picked up his plate and Apolo’s to take to the sink, where he rinsed them both.

 

Apolo just put his head on the table where his plate had been.  JR was such a lost cause to this match-making crap.  And he would rope Apolo in one way or another. He was screwed.

 

_Evan looked across the cafeteria trying to decide where to sit and eat his yogurt-protein shake.  It seemed pretty full, Apolo and JR were playfully elbowing each other in a booth with some other skaters, a loud knot of snowboarders had shoved a few tables together, and there was general mayhem.  Across the room he spotted an empty chair. Across from Johnny Weir.  He gulped, his hands suddenly damp from his own sweat as well as the sweat on his shake.  Johnny was playing with his phone, delicate, beautiful hands dancing across the touchpad.  The beautiful lines of his face and neck cut through Evan like a knife.  Could he take that seat? What would he say?  How would he keep from stammering out his undeclared love?_

“Oh my GOD JR.  This shit is awful.  And why did you have to put us in it?  That’s just weird.  Who acts like this, a 13 year old girl?  Have you even met Evan?  Do you think he would ever describe anyone’s hands as ‘delicate and beautiful’?” Apolo couldn’t believe JR had written this crap.  Or that he was so perceptive about Johnny’s attributes. Maybe he should be worried.

 

“Well, I only have so much experience to draw on here Apolo! I’ve only liked you, and this is how I felt sometimes before we got together…” He trailed off sheepishly.  Apolo sighed.

“You were a lovestruck 15-year-old.  Evan is an oblivious 24-year-old.” He paused.  “That sounds like me actually. Give me the keyboard, let me try.”

 

_Evan looked around the crowded cafeteria and eat his yogurt-protein shake.  It was pretty full, he wasn’t cool enough to sit with the speedskaters, a loud knot of snowboarders had shoved most of the middle tables together, and it seemed like this was the peak hour for this dive.  Maybe he would be better off just going to his room. Then across the room he spotted an empty chair. At Johnny fucking Weir’s table. He was just sitting there eating and playing with his phone. Well, it was better than standing there looking like a tool.  He could be smooth and just eat his shake and get away from Johnny with a minimal of conversation. No one would think he actually was friends with the guy, let alone that every now and again when he laughed or smiled and caught Evan’s eye, Evan had to go jack off.  They could just sit together like guys do.  He made his way over to the table and sat down with a grunt of greeting. _

“Seriously Apolo?  I always thought being hungry just made you cranky and that was why you would never talk to me during meals.  You are such a shit.” JR looked at him accusingly.  “But this is actually pretty good.  I’ll write Johnny, you go make dinner.” JR turned back to the computer and began typing again while Apolo went to steam some vegetables.

 

JR looked really satisfied when he sat down at dinner. “So I have Evan and Johnny making awkward small talk before Johnny points out that they won’t have to deal with each other much longer, while secretly dying inside that he won’t see Evan anymore.  Then Evan offhandedly suggests they meet at the top of the Empire State Building after worlds, their eyes meet and Johnny suggests they go back to his room.”

 

Apolo stabbed his broccoli with undue force. “Really JR?  The Empire State Building?  And you do realize Johnny is rooming with Evan’s ex, right?  Not the best place to begin their relationship.  And if they think the other is hot, they’ve had plenty of time to recognize that.  They need to see themselves as complementary rather than opposites, Evan needs to see Johnny as less shallow, and Johnny has to see that beneath the orange-shellacked tongue-tied façade, Evan has a sense of humor and personality.”

 

JR’s eyes were dancing and the way he was chewing suggested he was trying not to smile.

 

Apolo realized he had just been plotting how to help figure skaters fall in love and scowled at JR. “I can’t believe you even have me thinking about this.  I hate you.”

 

JR swallowed and grinned. “You know you love me for keeping your life interesting.  Without me you would do nothing but workout and shop.”

 

Apolo had long ago learned that JR interpreted “Shut up.” as “I know you’re right and won’t admit it.” so he just kept quiet and speared a carrot.

 

“They get locked in a closet together?”

 

“They have phones dumb-ass.”

 

“Evan gets sick and Johnny has the right blood type?”

 

“So does his mother.”

 

“There is a rooming mix up and they have to room together.”

 

“Unlikely, but more likely than being soulmates and bloodmates or whatever. Stick with the lunch beginning.  It’s already written, and it’s not totally lame.”

 

“But I don’t know where to go from there!”

 

“I thought they were declaring their love at sunset in June on top of the Empire State Building?”

 

“You were right, no one is that lame.  Maybe I should just stick with a character profile.”

 

“A what?”

 

“That’s what they call it when the people are really just having sex but they think a lot and you get to see their personalities through how they are in bed.”

 

“I don’t even want to know where you get this stuff.”

 

“That’s not what you said last night when we tried the whole sensory deprivation-by-bandana thing.”

 

“I can’t decide if I’m more worried about your fixation on Weir and Lysacek or on reading fiction about someone you live with.”

 

“We’re getting off topic.  How do they fall in love?”

 

Apolo was kind of getting tired of these conversations on the way to and from practice.  Usually they talked over the practice, critiquing one another’s skating, fighting over whose iPod would get plugged in on the way home, or about what JR’s brothers were up to, but for the past three days JR had claimed he had ‘writer’s block’ and the only cure was bugging Apolo to death about his stupid fanfiction story.

 

“Look, if you want to make it realistic, you should probably just have them both have feelings for each other, not talk about it, and never get together because I’m 95% sure that is what will actually happen, since you don’t even know if they like each other.  It’s not like they are secretly writing love letters to each other.”

 

“Apolo! That’s brilliant!”

 

“What is?”

 

“Love letters! One of them will find a note or a journal entry or something about the other and then they will have to confront their feelings!”

 

Apolo wished he could bang his head against the steering wheel.

 

_Tanith—have you seen Evan yet?  He looks as orange as ever, and his stubble just makes him look like a moldy orange instead of just an orange.  I still want to lick it.  My practices have all sucked, because I keep watching him instead of focusing on my skating. I know you keep telling me he’s not as dumb as he seems, that he is just that way around me (what does THAT mean?) but it is infuriating to be so attracted to such a Neanderthal.  Why didn’t anyone ever tell him he is too tall, dark, and handsome to be a beautiful skater?  It would have saved me a lot of misery.  Anyway, just wanted you to know that since I can’t seem to skate with him around I’ll be at the rink longer so I can get some time when he isn’t there.  Don’t expect me back until late and DO NOT USE MY MOISTURIZER._

_Hugs and Kisses,_

_Johnny_

_It took a minute to process that this was real.  He was the reason Johnny seemed so distracted?  Johnny had always seemed to be so fiercely competent on the ice, dealing with only his inner demons and ignoring everyone else. He was torn between being frustrated that Johnny thought he was dumb and relieved that Johnny had never realized it was only around him that his words seemed to stop working—_

“JR! Again with the pre-teen girl!  I swear to God you probably have some pink notebook that has ‘Mrs. JR Ohno’ written all over it.” Apolo had agreed to read this travesty against the English language, but really, JR sometimes was just too melodramtic.

 

“I do not! Besides, we both know Apolo Celski sounds much better.  Why would I take your last name?” His retort was given in a heated tone, but the slight blush meant Apolo wasn’t too far off the mark. JR probably did have some ridiculous diary tucked away somewhere.

 

“Whatever, you know you’re my bitch.” He lightened the words by putting JR into an affectionate headlock. 

 

“The letter part isn’t bad, although this has got to be the worst plot device ever. But they are both professional men.  And Evan seems like the kind of guy who wouldn’t over-analyze this much.  He finds the letter, he finds out Johnny hates that he likes him and he decides what to do about it.  So what’s he gonna do about it?”  JR nodded thoughtfully and bit his lower lip before turning back to the computer.

_It took a minute to process that this was real.  He was the reason Johnny seemed so distracted?  Johnny had always seemed to be so fiercely competent on the ice, dealing with only his inner demons and ignoring everyone else. And this put things in a totally new perspective.  So he thought Johnny was gorgeous and amazing, and Johnny thought he was a hot moron.  Well, it was better than nothing.  So what was he going to do?  Say something? Ignore it? Fuck.  Was he, or was he not, a serious competitor?  He spent his life risking injury, and if he could deal with injuries in his foot, his hip, his back, why not his heart?”_

“JR!!!”

 

_He spent his life risking injury, he could fucking talk to Johnny Weir and show him he was more than a Neanderthal._

“Much better.” Apolo glanced over it approvingly.  “Now can we please get the laptop off your lap, so I can get in it?” At that JR snapped the computer shut and threw the covers off his bottom half so that Apolo could slide him down and get on top of him. 

 

“So Evan’s going to man up and go talk to Johnny while they are both watching pairs.”

 

“Yeah? What angle have you decided to go with?  Bashful and stammering?  Brash and pre-planned?  Casually conversational?”

 

“How did you know those were the tropes?”

 

“Well, since you seem to enjoy this fanfic so much I decided maybe I should educate myself.”

 

JR’s breath hitched a little and he squirmed in his seat (Apolo always drove.  He had a Lexus, he had better insurance rates, and he was a control freak.  JR never seemed to mind.) “Yeah? What did you think?”

 

Apolo let him wonder for a minute.  “Well, I’ve learned that no one can decide whether Evan or Johnny will top, and that figure skaters are supposed to be impressively flexible.  Ha. They’ve never seen me stretch.”

 

“You fucker! I thought you meant you read stories about us!” JR glared at him

 

“Oh, well, in that case I learned that everyone in the entire world knows that I top, and no one knows exactly how horny it makes me to go to your stupid concerts with you.”

 

JR looked interested “You get turned on at those? You always complain that I’m dragging you to hear indie kids whine.”

 

Apolo snorted back “JR, your pupils get dialated, you sing along soulfully, and it is always in some tiny grotty place where we get all sweaty.  What do you think you sweaty and breathless does to me?”

 

“Oh.  I guess I never thought about it.  Well, I’ll tell you that I’m yet to read anything where you pull off the highway because you just can’t wait to blow me.”

 

“I’ve never done that in real life either.”

 

“No time like the present to change that.”

 

After a satisfying interlude on the side of a road where Apolo thanked God he had gone with the darkest windows the state allowed, JR turned back to his current favorite topic of how to get Johnny and Evan together.

 

“I think it would really help me if you talked me through your thought process when you decided to come clean and tell me you were interested in me.” JR made it sound casual, but he had yet to master the difference between casual and too-casual-to-be-casual.

 

“Whatever, you just want to know what pushed me over the edge after your years of  terribly unsubtle flirting.” Apolo had mastered that art, and knew JR would see through it anyway. He stared at the road as he put the car back in drive and waited a moment to gather his thoughts before continuing.

 

“Well, I knew you liked me, you had liked me for years, but I had just thought it was the kind of idol worship that would go away and I didn’t want to do anything that would make you feel stupid later, and I didn’t want to encourage you too much, but then after I took that season off, and I came back you seemed more sure of yourself, like without me there all the time you had really grown into your own, started to become a man instead of a kid.  And I started to be really interested in what kind of man you would be, and you stopped trying to impress me and started just being yourself and actually impressing me.  And finally I decided that if you still wanted me I would be a total dipshit to not tap that.”  Apolo finished with a grin, alleviating a little of his uncharacteristic seriousness.

 

JR wanted to push further, about what led to that first date, Apolo’s totally lame declaration of like, but Apolo had used up his emotional quotient for the next three weeks in that little speech, so he was pretty sure that would have to wait.

 

“Well, if we apply that kind of thought to Johnny and Evan, one of them has to realize that if they wait any longer the opportunity will be lost forever.”  JR chewed his lip in his distracting way, turned on Vampire Weekend and was quiet for the rest of the drive.

 

_“I’m not a Neanderthal.” Evan made the declaration without much emotion as he folded his tall frame into the chair next to where Johnny was watching the pairs couples warm up._

_“What?” Johnny looked guarded and strong at the same time, the mix of vulnerability and imperviousness that drew people to him._

_“I found your note to Tanith.  I read it.  I’m not a Neanderthal.  I paint in my spare time, I have a real love for modern art, I listen to 70s rock, and Frank told me that since you’ve got the porcelain skin and dramatic lashes look cornered I needed to be the tan one with stubble.  I know I look orange. I’m tired of looking stupid around you, and I’m tired of you making fun of me when you don’t know a damn thing about me—you’re supposed to be all ‘be whoever you want, don’t let people stereotype you’ and I’ll be damned if this is our last competition together and you still don’t know any of this.” Evan made his entire speech quickly, in a tone slightly less than conversational, and without meeting Johnny’s eyes at all._

_For once Johnny had no quick, witty reply.  After a few moments of silence between them, Evan finally met Johnny’s eyes and said “I wouldn’t tell you this if I didn’t care what you thought.  I care more than you’ve ever given me a reason to, so if you are interested in finding out more, you know where to find me.”_

“I can’t believe you wrote this.” JR looked up at Apolo, and the disbelief was written all over his face.  It made Apolo uncomfortable.

 

“Well, you were stuck, and I know for whatever reason this ridiculous story means something to you, so I thought I would give it a go.”  He had his arms crossed defensively against his chest.

 

“It’s great.  There’s the tension, it’s taut—I always end up going overboard with the description—it’s perfect.” JR looked more than a little pleased.

 

“Well, I figured if I could get you past this part you could write your little happily ever after or whatever, and then we could get back to worrying about the competition part of the Olympics rather than the love lives of the other Olympians.

 

“No, I think this is the perfect ending.  That way they have to think for themselves where they would like the story to go, where they want their own story to go.” Now JR was practically vibrating at his desk. “Apolo, I’m so pumped about this, I’m just buzzing.”

 

He did look deliciously anxious, so Apolo couldn’t help but pull him up for a kiss and then push him to the bed to get rid of some of his nervous energy.

 

JR polishes the story up some, tweaking it until he thinks it’s perfect, and then has to decide how they are going to get it to Johnny and Evan.

 

“I think we should just go ahead and put it in their info packets.  That way we know they’ll get it.”

 

“They’ll get it, but they won’t read it.  After your first Olympics everyone knows your coach will tell you anything really important and you won’t have to deal with all that crap.”

 

“Taped to the door?”

 

“So that anyone could read your little masterpiece?  Nothing would make them feel more awkward about going anywhere near each other than knowing that everyone on their hallway has read a story about how they are secretly in love.”

 

“Could we slip it in a pocket at opening ceremonies?”

 

“Dude, if you think I’m going to let anyone even think you might be feeling up someone else, you are mistaken.”

 

“Okay genius, what’s your brilliant idea?”  JR was spotting Apolo in the weight room as they talked.  Apolo had finally banned all talk of Johnny and Evan from the car or within an hour of bed (he claimed it just wasn’t that healthy to think about men other than his lover that close to having sex).

 

“Well, you already know I don’t think this will work, they are just going to find your story fucking creepy, but if you do want them to give it thought, the Opening Ceremonies are a bad time.  You need to wait until after they compete, when they are thinking about what they are doing next.”

 

JR switched places with Apolo on the squat racks and adjusted the weight.

 

“But then you and I are going to be really busy too, and in a completely different building!”

 

“We’re still staying in the same place.  Just make a few copies and we’ll decide when we get there.”

 

Apolo was extremely thankful JR seemed to let it go at that.  He printed out a few copies of the story (extras just in case) and put them in a folder to keep the pages crisp.  He put it in the pocket of his empty suitcase, to wait until they went to Vancouver.

 

As the Olympics approached, Apolo was relieved to see that JR had switched his focus to his own training and his own mental game rather than trying to help some figure skaters up their game.  JR looked so good on the ice, it made Apolo a little wistful.  He was in the best shape of his life, trained to perfection, he raced with purpose and intensity, but JR skated with the joy of youth.  Apolo skated for the rush of speed, JR skated for the exuberance of flight.  But they were both training to win, and when they got on the plane to Vancouver the story was tucked in the suitcase (it was the only neat thing in JR’s suitcase; Apolo couldn’t bear to just shove things in and zip it shut, JR laughed at him for folding everything neatly) but their minds were both on the competition.

Apolo loved the Opening Ceremonies.  Sometimes they dragged, but there was such a thrill to be wearing a uniform (even one that made him look like he went to a prep school a century ago—he was kind of disturbed how attractive JR was in the school-boy get up) with everyone else, to be representing the United States, to be in one block with his fellow country-men.  Sure, he was a star of his sport, but he was just another short super-athlete in the Village.  But here, with the whole team he felt like it wasn’t him taking on the world, but that he had this force with him.  JR had been somewhat amused by his excitement.

 

“Seriously Apolo, you’re like a kid going to Disneyland.  I don’t think there are spinning teacups in the arena. Some of the other guys said it’s not even that interesting, it can be boring.”

 

“Well it can be boring, but that’s not the point! The point is that we are athletes representing our country, and we don’t know each other or about each other’s sports, and some of us are more famous—“

 

“You mean YOU are more famous than them.”

 

“—whatever, we’re all the same walking in.  We’re all Olympians. And it is awesome.”

 

“Geez Apolo, I’m suddenly realizing you are a romantic, just not about me.  You are such a sap about this.”  JR cocked his head to the side “It’s kind of cute.  You, being all earnest.”

 

Then JR had gotten that sensitive melty look that Apolo wouldn’t admit made him go a little soft inside and stroked Apolo’s face and adjusted his hair with an unreadable expression (okay, if Apolo HAD to read it, it would be ‘tender’ but Apolo didn’t like to think of him and JR as being all…touchy-feely like that) before adjusting his outfit and asking Apolo if he looked like he could represent America well.  Apolo ran a hand down the broad, soft lapel and told him that he would do.

 

The opening ceremonies had been great, Apolo had been right.  JR had felt like a champion just being there with all the athletes, a loud group of people all with the heightened readiness for competition but still with some camaraderie. He had seen Johnny talking to his blond roommate, and Evan had been asking some stouter looking guys about the finer points of curling.  Apolo had seen him darting looks between them and finally had steered him over to Johnny and the girl—her name was Tanith—to make small talk about traveling and the Village.  Johnny was pissed he had to stay in the Village at all, apparently he was high-security and his room smelled like dog (Tanith was quick to point out she had arrived second and by the time she was there, Johnny had transformed it).  Apolo sympathized since he had to have high security too, and by the time they found seats, JR was more at ease until Evan sat down two rows ahead just in front of them.

 

“Jesus, why don’t tall people ever get the memo to sit in the back?” Johnny groused in what JR was learning was his standard bitching-but-not-bitchy voice.

 

Apolo laughed and slapped him on the back, “It just means the cameras won’t catch us not paying attention to the stupid speeches. Evan will have to have his best polite face on the whole time.”

 

Johnny seemed slightly mollified.  “Well then to pass the time I think we should give everyone makeovers.  I’ll start with that blonde with the rat’s nest.  She could be really pretty.”

 

JR was asked to weigh in every now and again on whether someone’s make up was too much, or how they would look with a different hair color, and then blushingly stammered a defense for JR’s soul patch against Johnny’s attack (I mean, he couldn’t actually say outloud, at the Opening Ceremonies at the OLYMPICS that Apolo’s soul patch drove him crazy when he was going down) to which Johnny looked at him a little too knowingly, making JR blush harder and made Apolo smirk in his infuriating way.

 

JR perked up when Apolo asked how Johnny would makeover Evan.  “Honey, where do I even start.” He said before trailing off.

 

Tanith leaned in with a sparkle in her eye.  “Well, as his ex, I have to say this may be a personal preference but I think he needs to even out the manscaping.  It’s, like, he has hair on his head, arms and legs, and then gets rid of everything else.  I mean….just one or the other.” She settled back into her seat after offering her opinion.

 

Johnny looked a little lost in thought before he regained himself.  “Well Tanith, now I need to pluck my eyes out, thank you.” He replied snippily before deciding Evan needed to get a new haircut, a new wardrobe, and a make up artist who understood what bronzer was for.

 

Apolo elbowed JR to stop him from grinning too much.

 

After the ceremonies when they had changed out of their matching get up and into shirts and boxers, Apolo slid into bed with a magazine next to where JR was squinting at his laptop. He grabbed JR’s glasses off the table and tossed them into his lap.

 

“Here, you don’t need to go any more blind.” 

 

“Oh thanks.  I was just reading an e-mail from home.  They said they saw us on TV, and say hi to you.” He typed a quick reply and put the computer away before propping himself up on his elbow and turning to face Apolo.

 

“I know you don’t like talking about Johnny and Evan in bed—“

 

Apolo groaned and tossed the magazine aside, but didn’t say anything, so JR continued

“—but you saw it too right?  That Johnny thinks he’s hot?  And now this whole idea seems so stupid.  They’re real people and they have kind of known each other for like ten years and whatever they feel for each other is more complicated than my stupid story can fix.  I mean, I would never want anyone plotting about me and you the way we—ok I—am plotting about them.”  JR looked so honestly worried that it was hard to be irritated.

 

“You’re right, they’ve had a lot of time to think about how they feel about each other, and I’ve told you all along that if they have feelings they might not ever be willing to say anything, and while I still think this whole story thing is lame as fuck, there isn’t anything stupid about wanting them to know what they could have.” JR was quiet when Apolo finished speaking, and Apolo just reached over and rubbed his arm.

 

“It just seemed so easy for us, you know?  I mean, I liked you and was so awkward forever, and then eventually you told me you liked me too, or at least you kind of said that in your stupid way, but we knew what we felt and we told each other.  I wish they could do that.”  It was Apolo’s turn to be quiet for a moment.

 

“I wasn’t going to tell you.” He finally said.

 

“What?” JR scrunched his face up.

 

“I wasn’t going to tell you how I felt.  I thought I was too old for you, and that I would fuck it up and I wanted your first relationship to be good, with someone sweet who would ease you into sex and love, even though that might mean you would stop liking me, and I was scared that if I gave you what you wanted you would realize I wasn’t as great as you thought. I thought I would fuck it up and I wasn’t going to say anything.” Apolo said it in a rush, and it took JR a minute to process it. 

 

Apolo had never, not once, seemed unsure about their relationship, it had always seemed like it was on his terms.  Sure, he would grouse about anyone JR paid attention to, but that just seemed like he was a prima donna (and he was) not like he was actually worried.  Their first date, their first kiss, the first time they had sex, Apolo had seemed so confident that they would work, that they were right together.

 

Taking in JR’s gobsmacked look, Apolo flopped onto his back and continued, while staring at the ceiling—if he was going to get it off his chest, he might as well do it before JR could start asking questions.  Once he finished saying this he never wanted to talk about it again.  “When you were seventeen your brothers came over together to talk to me.  They could read me a little better than you could, they saw that I liked you, and they thought I was just waiting until you were legal to ask you out.  They had this whole ‘we’ll kill you if you hurt JR’ speech all planned out, and I told them I had no intention of asking you out and they couldn’t believe it.” He let out a snort, and threw an arm over his head. “The convinced me that for all their stupid bluster they thought we would be good together and that I should grow a set and take responsibility—that if I was so sure you were going to get hurt, that everything was going to suck, that I was the best one to make sure that didn’t happen.  So I made you that stupid dinner and demanded that you go out with me and knew you would say yes, and I wanted to make sure we had the chance to actually date before I could jump you, just in case we realized it wasn’t going to work.  And then I thought, hell, maybe this will work, maybe I can make it all really good for JR, maybe if I date him he won’t ever have to go through all that stupid shit everyone else goes through.”  As last words went, it wasn’t exactly a strong ending, but it was really all Apolo had.  So he just shrugged and turned his head to look at JR who was still staring at him.

 

“Shut your mouth, you look like a goldfish.” Apolo punctuated the statement with a push to JR’s ribs that seemed to shake him out of his reverie.

 

Finally he asked “Why did you decide to tell me this now?”

 

“Well, you were going on about how we just told each other how we felt and figured it out.  But I had help.  Your brothers gave me the extra push.  So maybe Johnny and Evan do just need to feel like they won’t fuck up their lives by admitting they could be more than rivals.”

 

JR smiled, one of those brilliant wide grins that Apolo couldn’t quite take from this close up head on.

 

“I take it all back,” he said, carefully taking off his glases and scooting closer to Apolo where he started to pull Apolo’s shirt off, “you are the most romantic man I know.”

 

Maybe it’s because he was an only child and JR has two brothers, or maybe it’s because he’s older and not in that teenage eat-fuck-sleep mode, but Apolo is an earlier riser than JR.  So today, the day he is helping JR implement the most ridiculous match-making scheme ever, he rolls out of bed first, trying not to let too much cold air under the covers before turning the shower on.  He’s washing his hair when the door opens and JR joins him.

 

“Trying to save time, or just wanted to see me naked some more?”  Apolo grinned as he held his head under the nozzle to rinse it.

 

“Saving time so I can see you naked more.  I’m multitasking.”  They switched places so JR could start showering.  As he rubbed shower gel all over (Apolo cringed—JR used the same generic crap on his hair and body.  Apolo was fairly sure it was just a pointed commentary on his own skin and hair-care regime, but still) he smiled at Apolo.  Today was a relaxed day, they were halfway through with events and they just had some qualifiers that they would breeze through. Apolo conditioned his hair while JR rinsed again, and they switched back so Apolo could rinse his hair again.  The one benefit of JR’s deplorable regime was that they got out of the shower at the same time. JR doesn’t really have to shave everyday, so he let Apolo wrap him in a towel and sat on the counter to watch Apolo shave.  Apolo had initially thought this would be one of the worst parts of living with someone; fighting over the shower, who would get up first, who squeezed the toothpaste wrong, but instead he found JR’s presence just made everything better, gave him someone to talk to in the morning and never seemed to get too much in the way.  And JR had a thing for watching him shave that he just didn’t get, but didn’t complain about either.  So while he went through the motions that kept his soul patch in order, JR watched.

 

“I know that you are really doing this just to humor me, but be honest—you would get a kick out of it if this worked, right?”

 

Apolo wiped the last of the soap off his face and turned to JR while he wiped his face.  “I just don’t want you to get your hopes up too much.  I think you’re right, there’s something there, and maybe we can help, but if they don’t get together, it’s not like a failure.  And yes, I would love for you to be right, although God knows you’d probably try to set everyone on the team up if you get a taste of matchmaking success.  Don’t think I haven’t noticed how you’ve been dropping how cute the snowboarder chicks are to the guys every time they walk by.”

 

JR jumped off the counter and followed Apolo back to the bedroom.  “Okay, one match at a time, I promise.  Let’s run through the plan again.”

 

“Christ’s sake JR, it’s not exactly black ops.  Don’t worry about it.  I’ve got Evan covered, you’ve got Johnny, we meet for practice.”  Apolo pulled on some Team USA gear—his favored look in the Village just in case there was any doubt about where he was from—and gave JR a mock-exasperated look.

 

“I’m just nervous okay?  Here’s your copy.”  He zipped up his hoodie and jumped up and down in place like he was psyching up for a race.  Apolo pulled him close and kissed him.

 

  

  1. “So let’s do it.”
  



 

JR went to Johnny’s rooms and knocked on the door.  _“Hi Johnny, I was wondering if I could ask you about Tanith.  You see, my brother really thinks she’s hot…”_ he mentally rehearsed his speech so that he could get in the room and plant the story. 

 

Tanith opened the door.  JR’s face fell. 

 

“Oh. Um. Hi Tanith.  I was looking for Johnny.”  He felt like an idiot.  How had this not occurred to him?  A little part of his brain was at least glad it hadn’t occurred to Apolo either.

 

“He’s out getting some fresh air, he said he needed a break from ‘the frat house’ and went to soak up culture.  Which probably translates to, he went to find Vancouver’s Neiman Marcus to get away from the whole Evan/Evgeny debacle.” She said this as she let him in and led him to the living room of their little two-person condo. “Would you like some tea?  I’m just making some.” She went into the kitchenette, and JR pulled out the story and placed it folded on the coffee table.

 

“Oh.  Um.  No.  Thanks though.  I was just going to talk to Johnny and I guess I could do that later, I’ll just try to find him…later.” He sounded so lame, but he had planted the story, and that was the point of the visit.  He still kind of felt like it was a failure.  At least he had time for a snack before practice. 

 

“Okay, well, good luck with your races.” Tanith gave him an unexpected hug at the door and let him out.

 

“Yeah…you too.  Your dancing, I mean.”  That was the worst yet.  Geez.  But she shut the door and he was done.  Now as long as Apolo had done his part (not that he was sure what that was, Apolo had just said to stop bugging him, he would get Evan the story) they could just wait and see.

 

“Yo! Evan!” Apolo had gotten his agent to give him Evan’s schedule of meeting with sponsors and so here in the Coke Athlete’s Lounge, running into Evan wasn’t exactly a surprise.

 

“Oh hey Apolo, I have barely seen you since Opening Ceremonies.  Too busy kicking ass and taking names?” Evan asked.  Apolo steered him towards a couch in the corner.

 

“Well, you know, races, press, training, keeping my team in line.  You’re the one doing the ass-kicking, congrats man.”  Apolo could see he was wearing the medal under his shirt, the curve of it making it not quite lay flat against his chest. “But I didn’t just want to congratulate you, I was hoping we could chat for a minute.”

 

“Oh yeah, sure.”  They sat down, and Apolo was struck by how young Evan looked, despite being older than JR.  But he was so tall and thin and sitting next to Apolo he looked a little gangly and messy rather than poised. 

 

“So this is going to sound so totally weird, but it’s about JR.  Ever since Opening Ceremonies when we sat with Johnny he’s been so interested in you guys and at first I was glad he was getting into the spirit of the Games, but then I found something on his computer,” at this he pulled out the story, “and I was just a little concerned.”

 

Evan took it and after scanning it a little his head jolted up.  “JR wrote a love story about me and Johnny?”  He looked more than a little stunned.  Good.  Apolo’s shock and awe tactics were working.

 

“Yeah, it totally weirded me out, and I didn’t say anything to him, but finally I asked him why he was so into figure skating all of a sudden and he told me that ever since we all met at the photo shoot he has thought you guys should be friends and just wanted to help you out by having friends in common. I mean, I don’t know, I’m not gonna say you and Weir don’t have a little of that whole ‘lady-doth-protest-too-much’ crap going on, but obviously you have good reasons for keeping everything professional.”

 

Evan still looked like he wasn’t ready to respond, so Apolo took advantage to plow ahead.

 

“So here’s the thing.  I found this crazy story, and JR has this crazy idea about you two, and I know you guys are done competing, but we aren’t.  And I just thought maybe if you came to one of our races with Johnny, it would give him that extra boost.” Apolo leaned back. 

 

“Um.” Evan shook his head a few times.  “Uh, I don’t know about Johnny, I haven’t seen him since the medal ceremony, but give me the times and I’ll try to come to see you guys race.  I mean, you’re about to make history, right?”  He didn’t say anything about the relationship thing but he was clutching the pages Apolo had given him. 

 

“Yeah, the times are right here, and here’s a few passes.  See you around man.”  Apolo left before Evan could get his head on enough to ask any questions.  He smirked.  He had rocked his part of the plan. 

 

_Johnny—JR came by while you were out.  He acted really weird, then left this.  I have no idea what his deal is, but this is HILARIOUS.  I’m getting sushi if you want to join, just call me._

_-Tanith_

 

Johnny placed his bags down next to the counter and unfolded the pages the note was left on.

 

_Evan Lysacek, two time National Champion and reigning World Champion was not having a good day.  First of all, his coach had insisted he need to be really tan before going to Vancouver, and he was now somewhere between orange-orange and carrot-orange.  Secondly, he had just run out of hair gel, and hadn’t been able to find a bottle of his favorite brand at the salon.  Finally, he was on his way to Vancouver where he might be having his last competition as a figure skater.  That was worrying enough, since he really wasn’t sure what he would do when he retired, but the real issue was Johnny Weir. And how he didn’t want this to be their last time together._

Even though Tanith had said she was out, this seemed so ludicrous that Johnny took a look around as if to check if anyone else was watching, like maybe this was some bizarre joke.  He rifled through the pages, probably five or seven total.  He went to the bathroom and began filling the tub.  This looked like it was GREAT bubble bath reading material.

After he finished reading the story, which had alternately made him laugh, cringe, and wonder, he threw the humid pages on the floor and dunked his head underwater.  So JR had left this here?  Apolo’s little boyfriend had come over claiming he needed to talk to Johnny and then had left a love story about himself and Evan?  Where had he gotten it?  Why did he want Johnny to have it?  These questions seemed much easier than figuring out how he felt about it.  Did people really think this about him and Evan, that their rivalry and bickering really meant they had some kind of attraction to him? Sure, Evan was attractive sometimes, and he was a nice change from all the waif-like skaters (like Johnny himself), with his broad shoulders and easy grin. He could be a jerk, but he wasn’t a diva-bitch either.  Fuck, maybe Johnny really would miss him.  He hadn’t even really thought about it.  He dunked under again, enjoying the feeling of his hair waving like seagrass under the warm water and slowly exhaled bubbles.  Maybe this story had something to it.

_Johnny Weir, three time National Champion and World Medalist had a problem.  It wasn’t his quad, it wasn’t his overbearing coach, and it wasn’t what to wear.  It was Evan Lysacek.  He and Evan had been competing against each other for years, and the upcoming Olympic Games were probably their last major competition together.  Johnny was glad to see him go off and retire as a competitor, Evan was a pain in the ass at competitions, but his real problem lay with Evan himself.  Or rather, that he was attracted to Evan himself._

 

Evan couldn’t stop re-reading this stupid story Apolo had given him.  The whole thing was kind of ridiculous.  Awkwardly angsting over Johnny at lunch?  Dramatic monologues?  Johnny liking him?  Apolo’s boyfriend must really be cracking under the pressure or something. But then he kept reading it, and in interviews people asked about Johnny and the words from the story describing Johnny—_alabaster skin, compact beauty, hungry gaze—_kept leaping back to him.  He had never thought Johnny would be attracted to him (it wasn’t real! He still isn’t attracted!), Evan wasn’t openly bi, and Johnny’s tastes in everything ran to pretty, something Evan was most definitely not, too tall, too big a nose, too fond of sweatpants to be pretty.  He had to stop thinking about this.  Why did it matter if Johnny found him pretty?  He was going to take the passes, watch Apolo and JR, and if he ran into Johnny, maybe he would invite him.  And then maybe they’d see each other at Closing Ceremonies, or not, and then…they just wouldn’t see each other.  Fuck.  He did care that they were never going to see each other again, and it did bug him that Johnny just assumed he was the package he presented, and now he was knocking on his and Tanith’s door. 

 

Johnny opened the door, wearing a long, thin bathrobe, his hair his damp curls around his face and if Evan had been just a bit more dramatic he might have imagined that he could feel the heat and smell of a hot bath coming off of Johnny.  Johnny seemed startled for a minute (who could blame him?) before inviting Evan in.

 

“Sorry, I was just getting ready and then thought I would get some tea when you knocked.  Would you like some?”  Johnny had opened the door, and when Evan came past him in the narrow hall he could smell the shampoo of Johnny’s head and thought for a second that he was going crazy.

 

“Um. Sure.  Thanks.  What are you getting ready for?”  Evan sat down at the counter of Tanith and Johnny’s little kitchenette while Johnny put ice cubes in two tall glasses.

 

“Oh, not really getting ready for anything, but getting dressed for anything takes me time, so getting ready is probably a better phrase.  You’ve caught me practically with my hair in curlers.”  His eyes flitted up from where he was pouring and he smiled and Evan couldn’t believe how normal this felt, even though he couldn’t remember the last time he just made small talk with Johnny.

 

“Well, if you’re not busy, Apolo gave me some passes to watch him and JR skate, and I was going to see if you wanted to go.  Apolo said JR was having a rough time and might like to see some friendly faces.”

 

“Tanith said JR came by earlier and acted really weird about wanting to talk to me, maybe that was what it was about.” 

 

Evan’s heart felt like it jumped into his throat.  JR had come to see Johnny?  Thank God he hadn’t been in, what if he had said something about wanting to get them together, God that would be embarrassing…what if he saw them together and said something then?  He would never live it down, he would blush a hundred shades of red under this damn tan and sink into the ground.

 

“Evan.  Tea?”  Johnny was holding his glass out expectantly and Evan realized he had been staring into space. 

 

“Oh yeah.  Thanks.  Well, I haven’t seen JR since we got here, so I don’t know, but I was going to go cheer and thought maybe you would want to come too.”  It sounded so normal, teammates going to cheer on other teammates, but it felt so weird, since they never did this, not even for their figure skating teammates.  They cheered for the people they shared coaches, choreographers, ice space with, not necessarily their fellow countrymen.  Those were the people they shared press conferences with.

 

Johnny obviously thought it was a little weird too because he was giving Evan a calculating look, as if trying to work out why he was really here.

 

“Sure, if you don’t mind waiting a while, or meeting me there.  I’m not kidding about the time it takes to get me presentable.

 

“You look fine now.” Evan wanted to clamp his hand over his mouth and put his head against the table.  He settled for looking blank. Johnny smirked.

 

“Well thank you darling, but I’m not going to watch speed skating in my bathrobe.  How soon do they skate?  Are you going to wait?”  He said the last slowly, teasing Evan for being so out of sorts.

 

“They start in about an hour, I can just wait here, I have to write some e-mails anyway.”

Johnny nodded and then disappeared into his room.

 

As he dried his hair, going through the familiar motions, he wondered about Evan’s timing.  Apolo gave Evan speed skating passes.  JR came to see him and left that story.  Evan just thought of all the American Olympians to come invite him?  But if there was a connection, what was it?  And why did Evan have to be so appealing in person, off the ice, sitting at his kitchen counter? 

 

Johnny had been planning to get fabulous after his bath, because dressing up always cheered him up and took a while and he had been bored, but now he needed something a little more…casual.  Fabulous-casual.  Thankfully he packed for every eventuality, and when he emerged to where Evan was curled on his couch, one leg tucked under him, and talking on the phone while writing something down, Johnny was dressed in slim black jeans, a simple cashmere sweater, and a printed scarf.

 

“—about to go watch Apolo Ohno skate. Yeah, the guy with the bandana.  No, he’s taken, you’ll just have to stay heart-broken.  No, with Johnny Weir.”

 

Johnny leaned against the wall of the hallway so he could watch without interrupting.  He could see now that Evan wasn’t writing, he was drawing something.  His brow furrowed at the person on the phone.

 

“I don’t know if he’s taken, but I don’t think he’s your type.” He paused and laughed, “because he’s more than arm candy, and while yes, he does look good in tight clothes, he’s also a highly decorated athlete, has traveled around the world, and speaks three languages.  Remind me again when you last bothered to travel more than 50 miles from LA.  Well, I can’t argue with that.”

 

Who knew Evan had a sense of humor?  Or that he respected any accomplishment of Johnny’s?  He wasn’t even going to think about the looking good part. Johnny coughed, and Evan’s head whipped around, while he slammed the notebook in his lap shut.

 

“Hey, well, thanks for the call, I appreciate it.  Have a good one. Yeah. Bye.”

 

Johnny came fully into the room jangling his keys as Evan stood up clutching the notebook.

 

“I’m ready if you are.”

 

“Yeah, um, I’m ready. Let’s go.”

 

JR glanced up in the stands to where his family was sitting with Yuki, and was shocked to see that the seats next to them were filled with Evan Lysacek and Johnny Weir. After his total bungling of seeing Johnny earlier, and Apolo’s refusal to tell him how his running interference with Evan had gone, he had been trying to not be too disappointed.  Without much luck.

 

“Apolo!” he hissed, although it wasn’t like from that distance they were going to hear him, “Johnny and Evan are HERE! Together!”

 

Apolo glanced up from where he was stretching. “Yeah, I gave Evan my extra passes.  I didn’t really think he would invite Weir though.  Maybe your plan is going to work dude.”

 

JR knew it would be really obvious if he kept darting glances their way but he wanted to make sure it was real.

 

“What did you say to him? Why won’t you tell me?” He sat in front of Apolo so they could stretch together and not be overheard.

 

“Well, I knew you would be mad if it didn’t work, and it didn’t seem worth riling you up on race day, but I may have given Evan the story, told him you wrote it, and that I was a little worried about you, but that if he and Johnny came here together, you would be sure to race better.”  Apolo said all of this while bent over, stretching out his groin and hamstrings.

 

“WHAT?” JR’s reply was louder than he expected, and several people turned to look over at them.  He continued more quietly, “You told him I wrote it? He’s going to think I’m a freak!”

 

“JR, you did write it, and you are a freak.  But look, he read it, and he still could look Weir in the face and invite him here.  So that’s probably good.  And don’t turn around, but they look like they are actually talking to each other, and not with that small talk look either.”

 

Of course JR turned around.

 

“Dude, I invited them for you, but if you don’t skate well, I’m never doing anything nice for you again.” Apolo said it jokingly, but JR was pretty sure if he fucked up royally in this race, Apolo would never invite anyone other than their families again.

 

“Once we’re on the ice, it’s all business, and they could start making out and I will still be on that podium..” He grinned, an imitation of Apolo’s cocky look, but he really wasn’t into the mind games and all his smiles came across as sweet.

 

“That better be the case, because I’m expecting us to be up there together.”  Apolo hopped up from his spread eagle position in one burst and then helped JR up.  “So forget about them now, and we’ll talk to them after the race.”

 

“You know, JR has that puppy-dog thing going on, following Apolo, but really I think Apolo is the one that is whipped.” Johnny remarked as Apolo offered his hand to JR, pulling him up too hard (or harder than JR had expected—he was pretty sure Apolo did it on purpose) so that JR bumped into him and Apolo said something that made the other man blush.

 

“Hmm?” Evan had been desperately thinking of another conversation topic, since he was pretty sure that having just worked through a critique of the Junior team and their preferred way to poach fish they had exhausted all common interests.

 

Johnny pointed down at where JR and Apolo were standing, now with their arms crossed in identical ‘fuck you bitches, I’m not intimidated’ positions while watching other skaters test the ice.

 

“I was just saying that I wouldn’t have guessed it, but Apolo is totally whipped by that kid. I bet JR doesn’t even realize it, but just watching them, Apolo is the one who wants them to be close together, he just makes a show of being put out by having to drag JR everywhere.  I mean, JR isn’t really my type, but I could see how that would happen, how having someone who really knows you and still loves you when you have morning breath, and laughs off your tantrums and understands what drives you, that could be addictive.”

 

Evan wasn’t sure how to reply, he didn’t usually speculate about other people’s love lives in a serious way, and he had never considered baring his desires about love to Johnny Weir.  But fuck, this was their last chance to talk about anything, and he had been thinking about it, since he was probably retiring now that he was the World and Olympic Champion—go out on top, right?—and if Johnny could just open up about this stuff, he could too.

 

“Um, yeah.  I mean, that was one of the best things about me and Tanith, right, that she understood how I wanted to be the best, and was okay with how that made us not able to work, because we both wanted to win more than we wanted to be together.  But having both, someone who gets it and someone who is different enough to not get bored but doesn’t drive you nuts either—for that I would probably be whipped too.”

 

Both their eyes were on the ice, but Johnny had to take a peek out of the corner of his eye.  He had kind of just started this conversation to liven things up, to see if Evan would be real or canned, to see if Evan could be real with him, but he had thought it would fluster him more.

 

“Of course, now that I’m retiring, I guess the whole understanding my competitiveness isn’t as important, since I won’t ever be competing on this scale again. But I can’t really imagine being with anyone who didn’t get this me either.  Like, that would be getting the final product without having a hand in how I got there, in becoming who I am now.  That probably doesn’t make sense.” Now Evan felt like he had said too much.

 

“Like if someone came into your life now, now that you aren’t competing, that part of your life would disappear, like it never existed, except for youtube and a room full of medals.”

 

“Yeah. Exactly.”

 

They were both quiet.  Johnny broke the silence again.

 

“So that notebook you had earlier.  You were drawing.” That had actually kind of freaked Johnny out, after reading the story where Evan was a painter, like too much of life was following art (if that story could be called art) what with he and Evan sitting in the stands together discussing love as if they often sat down and talked about the real issues of life together.

 

Evan blushed a little. “uh, just sort of sketching, I don’t really draw, I’ve never had any training, more like doodling.”  The way he moved his leg to protect the bad with the notebook belied his words.  Johnny reached under his knee and grabbed the bag away, holding it on the other side of his body so Evan couldn’t get it.

 

“Johnny! Please! It’s nothing, but it’s personal! Give it back!”  Evan was trying to be quiet, but there was some panic in his voice.

 

Johnny pulled it out, just holding it, weighing whether to give in to his curiosity and perhaps ruin this little truce they had or to give it back. He looked up at Evan’s pained face through his eyelashes.

 

“How about a trade. You let me look at your drawings and I will tell you something personal and embarrassing.”

 

Evan hesitated.  If he didn’t agree, there was the chance Johnny would just open the book anyway.  This whole thing was so ludicrous.  This was like some ridiculous moment in a story.

 

“Write it down.”

 

“What?”

 

“Before you look, write down your secret and give it to me.  Use the last page of my book.”

 

It seemed fair, so Johnny pulled out a pen and scribbled on the last page before folding it and handing it to Evan. Johnny had thought he would open it right away, but he just held it.

 

“Okay.” Evan looked like he was mentally girding up his loins, “You can look.”

 

Johnny flipped the book open to a somewhat abstract scene of LA, obviously a street at night.  The next was the beach, a contrast between the straight lines of the horizon, shore, rectangular beach towels, sharp points on waves and the curves of the bodies, the waves on the sand and the dunes.

 

Another few pages were all of people, sort of. They weren’t terribly detailed, more impressions of how a smile played on a face, or the movement of hair.

 

“These, um, they are actually kind of good.” Johnny said looking up.  “You know what you’re trying to capture.”

 

Evan seemed to relax just a little over the next few drawings, which were from Vancouver, and answered Johnny’s questions about who they were—an older man from the clothing check out, one of the pairs in the kiss and cry—and then seemed to tense up again.  Johnny realized why when he flipped to the last drawing.

 

Like the first one, it dealt with curves and lines, but it was Johnny from earlier, the angles of his face and curl of his hair, the sharp glint of his eye and the curve of his lashes and brow.  He traced his fingers over the drawing before looking up at Evan, who appeared to be holding his breath, with a miserable expression on his face.

 

“What?  I mean, it doesn’t capture my complete fabulousness but it’s good.”  The longer he looked at it, the more it was true.  Evan hadn’t captured Johnny as fabulous, he had captured Johnny as Johnny. “Go ahead, open the note.”

 

_In the past hour I have found myself liking you more than in the past ten years._

 

Now it was Johnny’s turn to feel a bit discomfited, on display. Evan’s drawing of him had made him think the note wouldn’t be so horrible, but Evan was blushing and looking even more awkward than usual, and still hadn’t said anything, and GOD that story was just fucking with him, making him want his life to have this sort of stupid drama that never REALLY happened in real life and instead of being a romantic gesture this was just going to be so stupid and then they would be stuck here until after the race, and THANK GOD this was the last time they were going to see each other.

 

Finally Evan cleared his throat, carefully folded the note, and looked Johnny in the eye.  “Are you doing anything after the race?  I would love to take you out to dinner.”

 

Johnny’s jaw literally dropped.  He gaped at Evan, who seemed composed, with a hint of steeled-for-rejection.

 

“Yeah.  I think I have a couple interviews later this afternoon, but you could come by my room at seven.”

 

“Great. I will.  Yeah.”

 

They stared at each other for a moment before Evan looked out at the ice.  “Hey, JR and Apolo are about to skate! Finally, it’s the medal event.”

They both turned their attention to the ice, where the skaters were lined up.  The starter went off and the racers exploded into motion, a beautiful choppy running mixed with precise gliding around corners.  Apolo and JR seemed to be out of medal contention until suddenly two skaters went down.  They finished the race—silver and bronze—and Apolo grabbed JR and threw him over his shoulder, both of them laughing, while the stadium went wild.

 

“We did it! We did it!” JR kept shouting while Apolo spun him around before putting him back down.  They were both flushed and breathing hard from the race, adrenaline pumping.  They both looked over to their families to wave, and Johnny and Evan were jumping up and down cheering along, their hands grasped together tightly. 

 

Apolo smirked at JR, before pulling him close to take his hand.  “Yeah, I guess we did.”

 

 


End file.
